Comeragh Mountains Magic

Comeragh Glacial Features  Outside of Kerry and Wicklow, the Comeraghs is one of the most spectacularly glaciated areas in Ireland. The nine square kilometre area of the Central Comeragh Plateau is encircled by no less than nine coums. Surely this makes it one of the most glaciated pieces of real estate in Ireland! Here is some information on some of the glacial features to be found on our local mountains. Dramatic View down to Coumduala from Knockanaffrin Ridge What is a “coum”?  A Coum (“com” in Irish, “corrie” or “coire” in Scots` Gaelic, “cirque” in French and “cwm” in Welsh) is the birth place of a mountain glacier (a river of ice). How old are the Comeragh coums? Hard to be definitive but, according to Frank Mitchell, one of Ireland`s leading authorities on glaciation, most of the ice sculpting was done between about 300,000 and 130,000 years ago with some reshaping in more recent times. How many coums in the Comeraghs? Debatable but there are at least 14. Here go...

Geography, Geology, Geomorphology, Glaciation A Little Geography The Comeraghs stretch from the Suir Valley and Kilsheelan Woods in the north to the Mauma Road in the south, and from Ballymacarbry in the west to Mahon Bridge in the east, and cover an area of almost 200 square kilometres. They are visible from most corners of the county from Clonmel in the north west to Tramore in the south east. The mountains consist of two main ridges - the northern ridge called Knockanaffrin and the southern ridge sometimes called the Monavullagh - separated by the Central Plateau. There are some outlying hills such as Cruachán Déiseach in the south, Cruachán Paorach in the east and Lachtnafrankee in the north-west. The highest point is located on the Central Plateau a little west of Coumshingaun and is simply known as “792”. The range acts as a watershed for the surrounding catchment areas of the Suir Valley to the north and the Waterford coastal plains to the south, with the main streams being the ...

Above Coum Mahon How many coums on the Comeraghs? I mentioned the word “com” or “coum” in the last article. So, how many coums are there on the Comeraghs? Now, that`s a good question! Some people say 13, some say 14. In a recent book “Corries, Caves and Coast” by geologists Matthew Parks, Robert Meehan and Sophie Préteseille, the authors claim there are 18 or 19. There`s a big difference between 13 and 18. So which is it?  It all comes down to definition, I suppose. How do we define a coum? Many geography textbooks tell us that a coum is an armchair shaped hollow with steep back and side walls gouged into the mountainside by a glacier. It is in essence the birth place of a mountain glacier.  The defining characteristics of a bona fide, card carrying coum are: Vertical Cliff Walls: These are found at the back and sides and are created by plucking of the rocks by the ice as gravity encourages it to move downslope.  Marshy Hollow sometimes occupied by a lake: Nivation o...

The origin of the word Comeraghs Where does the name “Comeraghs” come from? When did it begin to be used widely as the placename for the mountains of north Waterford? Now there be two 64,000 dollar questions! Let`s look at the two main ideas out there as to the origin of the name. Com na Locha in the Nire The main language spoken in Ireland from late prehistoric times down to the late 19th century was Irish or Gaelic. This of course is a Celtic language and linguists tell us that the Celts were fond of naming places around them with words from the natural world. The word “com” in Irish means marshy hollow (often created by glaciers) and since there are at least fourteen marshy hollows hewn into the mountains of north Waterford, perhaps the name “Comeraghs” evolved from this Celtic/Gaelic root word. The Welsh (also Celtic) word for a glacial hollow is “cwm”, very similar to the Irish one. Given that many Déisi emigrated from Waterford to south Wales in the early centuries A.D., and th...

Mahon Valley Magic Road A Chomaraigh Aoibhinn Ó Written over a hundred years ago by gaelic scholar and abbot of Melleray Maurus Ó Faoláin , this song is undoubtedly the “Anthem of the Comeraghs” . A native of Kilrossanty, Father Maurus eulogises the Comeraghs in the first verse, heaping praise on its bright streams, leafy woods, honeyed glens and clear meadows.  Mo bheannacht óm chroí dod thír is dod shléibhte A Chomaraigh aoibhinn ó, Is dod mhuintir shuairc ar dual dóibh féile A Chomaraigh aoibhinn ó, Do shrutháin gheala is do choillte craobhach, Do ghleannta meala is do bhánta léire, Is grá óm chroí dóibh siúd le chéile A Chomaraigh aoibhinn ó. Click on the link and enjoy Karan Casey`s rendition of the song! A Chomaraigh Aoibhinn O (Sweet Comeraghs) -Karan Casey - YouTube Lough Mohra from Knockanaffrin Ridge Indeed, Father Maurus was speaking for most of us, for nature has certainly blessed us here in Waterford, bestowing on us the magical mountains that are the Comeraghs. For ...